1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to innovative packaging and thermo-sealing control method in packaging production and the resulting article of manufacture that uses thermo-sealing plastic films to solve problems in sealing strength and providing resealable features.
2. Description of the Related Art
Several approaches to provide sealed packages formed from a polymer film with heat sealable portions have been designed in the past. In the thermo-sealing arts, controlling the amount of heat to accurately achieve a predetermined sealing is difficult. The present invention addresses this problem by providing an accurate method for controlling sealing strength that is compatible with high speed production technology. With a constant heating temperature and residence time, the present invention still permits obtaining different sealing strengths for different areas in a packaging by varying the characteristics of the restricted areas or microdots. Additionally, the resulting packaging permits a user to reseal the packaging after initially breaking it. These novel features, while desired for a long time, have not been provided by the designs currently existing in the state of the art.
One of these designs is described in US patent publication No. US 2009/0081405 (Shalendra Singh) published on Mar. 26, 2009. Singh bases his sealing control on special polymer films in which the sealing features are reduced by the combination of its resins. While this publication discloses the general use of sealing control through the special polymer films, it does not disclose the use of restricted areas or microdots in the region of film overlay to selectively reduce (weaken) the resulting seal in those areas nor does it even suggest a packaging that is resealable.
Another related reference corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 3,258,386 issued to Blythe in 1966 for a thermosealing device. This patent discloses a mechanism that utilizes a heat diffuser or generator to seal specific points. The Blythe patent not only discloses a costly device that is also costly to use, but it teaches away from the invention. Blythe acknowledges the existence of the problems in the industry. See Col. 1, lines 33-63. Blythe teaches the use of special heated pyramidal tools (straight or rolls) on the film. These tools have the valleys of its composition filled with non-heat conductive material so as not to harm the polymer film when pressed against it. The grinding also needs to produce a smooth surface. The present invention is practically the reverse through the application of a covering with low thermal conductivity to define a predetermined number of controllable microdots that in turn result in sealing areas of predetermined sealing strengths. Also, the thermal contact needs to be maintained exactly in the same place until sealing is complete. This is incompatible with modern high speed rotating equipment, like the Will Pemco's Ream Wrapper 39S since the ream slides against different heated plates in its final compression not making possible to keep the same sealed points as generated by the initial tool. Pemco, Inc. is located at 3333 Crocker Avenue, Sheboygan, Wis. Blythe requires a complicated mechanism for controlling the sealing of the packaging at predetermined areas. Lastly, this patent does not disclose any resealable characteristics of the packaging.
In the patent issued to Frederich L. Kurrle on Apr. 10, 2001 and entitled “Security Feature for Paper Products” under U.S. Pat. No. 6,214,766 (2001), the patentee discloses the use of microdots for security purposes as protection against counterfeiters. Col. 3, lines 20-34. However, there is no teaching or suggestion of the use of microdots for controlling the strength of a sealing portion in a packaging. Also, this patent does not disclose the resealing feature (re-opening and re-closing the package after it is opened the first time).
Another related reference is U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,549 issued to Richard Littman in 1999 entitled “Packages with Controlled Easy-Open Features” that utilizes roughened portions of the outer and inner surface of the films. In addition to requiring the matching of the two surfaces, this approach robs otherwise available space for advertisement. The selective use of microdots in the present invention is more effective and compatible with production requirements.
Usually the problem with the sealing of packages is that there is not sufficient control over the sealing feature of a plastic film, which makes the industrial process more difficult to control temperature, pressure and thermo-sealing time. These difficult parameters of time, pressure and temperature are recorded as irregular and the packing machine during producing has inconsistent sealing throughout the process result in some packaging having too strong sealing and others opening too easily.
The thermally sealed packaging products produced today present several sealing problems as discussed below. When the sealing is too strong, the packaging is difficult to open, it irritates the customer, and worse it risks tearing the packaging at the moment of opening since it requires more strength for the task. In that case, the product can be exposed to contamination since it can easily fall off the packaging. Another problem caused by excessively strong sealing is the risk of possible damage to hands and fingernails of customers due to the use of too much physical strength or cutting objects.
When the packaging sealing is weak, it causes high rate of loss in the product distribution chain due to package opening before reaching the end customer, increasing investments in logistics and restocking, not to mention damage to products and the manufacturer's image in the customers' minds.
Usually, manufacturers try to offset these difficulties in sealing control by using noble plastic films with low fusion temperature, making wrapping more expensive without totally solving the problem of inconsistent sealing strength during the packing process and its effects.
Usually, this type of packaging can also show FC (friction coefficient) problems between the wrapping and the metallic parts of the packing machine, which can slow the process and productivity.
With respect to the ability to reseal the packaging, several mechanisms have been designed in the past that are difficult to adapt to production line requirements, adding to production costs. One of these attempts is in the patent issued to Jones et al on Mar. 16, 1999 entitled “Easy Opening Reclosable Package” under U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,749. This patent describes the manufacture of thermo-sealable packaging films with the addition of complex adhesive tapes, which have outside sealable sides through two compatible and sealable films along the substrate of the main packaging and in its center the application of tacky adhesives. In this process the package opens with the disruption or division of the sealing power of the sticky patch at the time of product use and can later be re-closed at the same place. The process of this patent becomes complex and expensive at the moment it requires the application of an external element to the film package: the adhesive tape, which has limitations in machinery installation and adjustment when changing formats and layouts of new packages. The process taught by Jones et al does not presents a possibility of resealing the package by use of the film from the package only and requires multiple processes to build and apply the tape at, at least, two films and multiple layers of adhesive and release controls in the adequate place of the package.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,454,210 discloses packages made from a base web with a pressure sensitive adhesive layer across it, and connected to a base film to form the package. The package is opened by breaking the tearable film and removing it from the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive. This leaves a surface of pressure sensitive adhesive exposed and against which the web can be pressed to seal the package. The main disadvantage of packages disclosed in this patent is that the whole web on the package carries a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive. Since the pressure sensitive adhesive is only required where the opening should be made, special arrangements need to be undertaken for the web in production. These are expensive materials, therefore, this approach is costly and too expensive.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,320 discloses a similar flexible packaging material which is heat sealable to itself. The packaging material has a sticky adhesive layer sandwiched between a surface layer of a heat sealable polymer and a substrate. The sticky adhesive is distributed throughout the material. The patent also reveals that since the adhesive is tacky only required where the opening should be made, the adhesive may be applied on the substrate to register it, only where needed. The skin layer can also be applied to the record of the adhesive itself, as of the printing of the adhesive layer and skin layer on the substrate subsequentially using a center printing press. The skin layer can be applied to the surface of the other areas of the substrate too, up to the entire surface of the packaging material. The patent also discloses that the sticky adhesive may be applied to the substrate through means of transport transfer, which uses another film as transportation, which usually has a feature release or absence of corona treatment. This process is known in the processes of metallization transfer, and presents a great economic disadvantage of requiring the use of a productive process with the use of endless belts or other substrates such as film transport, where disposal and loss of transportation film or liner sometimes occurs. In conclusion, the approach disclosed in this patent to distribute the tacky adhesive over the packaging material is disadvantageous for the reasons explained previously and sticky adhesive coating only where needed using skin film or by transfer by releasefilm or liner is also disadvantageous because of the need to the complete one more productive process with the use of endless belts or other substrates such as film transport, where disposal and loss of transportation film or liner sometimes occurs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,472 discloses a re-sealable packaging material made by side-by-side simultaneous coextrusion of several thermoplastic resins through a dye to form a film with two or more bands of material that extend in the machine direction. The first band contains conventional packaging polymers and no pressure sensitive adhesive, and the second band includes a surface layer of heat sealable polymer, a core layer of pressure sensitive adhesive and a layer of thermoplastic resin adjacent the layer. In the disclosed side-by-side coextruded film the bands are alongside one another and the second band has the same thickness as the first. The surfaces of the second band are shown as being co-planar with the surfaces of the first band. Each band extends from one surface of the side-by-side coextruded film to the other surface of the film. The film is folded upon itself and heat sealed to form a package by sealing jaws acting in heat sealable polymer in the second band. When the heat seal is pulled apart, the heat seal layer ruptures through to the pressure sensitive adhesive and delaminates from it. The rupturing and delamination occur within the boundaries of the side-by-side coextruded film. The approach disclosed in this patent is disadvantageous in several respects. It is limited in that coextruded films can only be made by side by side coextrusion. Side by side coextrusion in turn is limited in that side by side dyes are designed to run with only some resins. Even if it is designed to run a variety of resins, each dye is set to place the second band in a fixed location. To change the location of the second band, a new dye is required. Making adjustments within a given dye to meet one or more resins is problematic and may result in superficial non-uniformity of thickness of the first and second bands. Even a small difference in thickness of the second band will result in a raised area or hollow area along one side of the surface of a roll of the side-by-side coextruded film. To minimize surface non-uniformity on a roll, roll size for shipments to customers will be kept relatively small. This will cause more frequent roll changes than desired. Another approach which employs a tacky adhesive to provide an opening feature for a flexible package is that wherein an elongated cut is made through a packaging film. The cut is widened and a reclose tape wider than the cut and made of a substrate layer and a tacky adhesive layer is fed by a carrier system and applied with the tacky adhesive side down to the film to cover the open cut. The film is folded over on itself and pressed together without heat to adhere the tacky adhesive through the open cut to the opposite wall of the film. To open the package, the tape's tacky adhesive is pulled away from the opposite wall of the package. This approach is disadvantageous because it requires that the tape's tacky adhesive layer be treated or covered with a removable release layer, or carried on a silicone coated paper carrier layer. These treatment systems and removable cover or carrier systems add steps, equipment and expense to produce the tape and package.
The published Japanese patent application No. 10-101130 of Apr. 21, 1998 entitled Packaging Structure with OVERWRAP FILM shows a packing material for objects such as disk or tape cassette tapes. This packing thermo-selable material known in the market receives printed advertising in the weld area, which reduces and disrupts the weld quality of the films, creating an appropriate zone for the easy opening of the package. However this primary technique of seal strength reduction through contamination of ink among the resins does not establish control thermo-selability control, does not control the strength of fusion on the weld, does not teach about FC control by the addition of additives to packaging paints and varnishes and neither has any solution to the possibility of re-closing the package and protecting its contents during their partial use.
Based on the above-related disclosures, the present invention is simpler, requiring no additional steps, processes, or substrates, thus making it possible to create desired effects, such as simple opening and easy re-closing and re-opening for an indefinite number of times, at the time of printing the packaging.
Other documents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention.